Antlers-Elk or Deer...questions on

[Pam & Trixie]

Trixie has always loved chewing her Nyla bones. (she mainly chews them in the evening if we watch TV, At bedtime in our bed.  And to destress if we have been gone for awhile)  They have always kept her teeth nice & clean.

This last week or so she hasnt chewed them much.  I dont think any thing is wrong with her teeth- of course I dont know for sure.

I think they tend to get sharp & hurt her tongue....Last night we were gone for about 5 hrs in the evening- when we got home she chewed her bone more then she had all week- Then stopped & licked the air alot...Like her tongue got sore or cut from chewing (she has done this before)

 

I was going to give Antlers a try.

I have a few questions about them:

How many of you tried Antlers & your dog didnt like them....What did they end up liking to chew?

 

If you have a light colored Doodle- Do they stain their beard?

 

Do they get sharp as the dog chews on them?

 

Which kind of Antlers are harder? Elk or Deer?  I really dont think she needs the harder antler.

 

Does your dog prefer Split or whole Antlers?

 

Which size do you buy for your dood?  Trixie is 45# & does not have a very large mouth.

 

Where do you find the best prices on them.

Thanks

[Kathy, Harley & Roxie]

We buy Harley the Elk antlers from Antlerpantry.com.  He loves them and they last forever.  Harley is a large dood so we buy him the x-large,  Hubby has taken a hack saw and sawed the end off (if it left enough length) if I felt it had gotten to sharp.  Also, when ever he has lost interest in one for a while, i soak it in water and he's back at it.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lots of discussions & resources for antlers in the Food Group. Here's a search of FG discussions about antlers:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topic/search?g...

[Willow and J]

Here are my answers:

How many of you tried Antlers & your dog didnt like them....What did they end up liking to chew?

: Willow likes antlers, but not always. Sometimes she's on it for as long as we allow her (30 min. max.), sometimes, she's not interested at all. Her absolute favorite chew toy is... branches. She's a mulching machine. :)

 

If you have a light colored Doodle- Do they stain their beard?

: She's a bit stained under chin anyway. I don't think antlers make it worse. 

Do they get sharp as the dog chews on them?

: They do, but not in the same way as Nylabones. Willow chews them differently too. With Nylabones, she chewed from all direction, thus a potential scratching of her lips and tongue on sharp plastic. She can only get to either ends of the antlers where inside of the antler is exposed.

 

Which kind of Antlers are harder? Elk or Deer?  I really dont think she needs the harder antler.

 : You'd be able to find answers to this on DK. I forget which one's harder. I also had some very soft ones (which was tossed out immediately because of sharp pieces) and very hard ones within a same batch of order.

Does your dog prefer Split or whole Antlers?

: Probably split ones, but they go too quickly, so we prefer the whole ones. 

Which size do you buy for your dood?  Trixie is 45# & does not have a very large mouth.

 : The big big big one for us. Willow is 60-65lb.

Where do you find the best prices on them.

: The place I used to order has sent some smelly ones, so I'm in the process of finding a new one. I remember a couple of members were enthusiastic about where they get them, and I'll wait until they post.

One thing I want to add is that antlers can be very very hard, and whether it's safe for their teeth is still a question. I decided to not to do Nylabones, greenies, nor rawhides, so antlers and smoked knuckle bones are the only chew toys Willow gets from time to time. But we only give it to her for 15-20 min. (30 min. max) at a time, and we monitor very closely. In fact, she doesn't chew unless we hold one up for her. :)  

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

This is funny - as I was just searching for an old discussion on boiling antlers to get them interested again. ( I have some deer ones he isn't too interested in latley).

Chester has both the Elk ones and a few deer ones. He isn't an aggressive chewer- still leaves treats in Kong if too much work. He definitely prefers Elk and 1/2'd over the deer.

I bought mine off ETSY.com

We aren't fans of the Nyla bones- I didn't like how he was getting bits of plastic and they just don't seem natural.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I wasn't a fan of Nylabones either, until JD developed IBD and that's all he can have, according to two internal medicine veterinary specialists. The trick is to buy the nonedible, really huge, tough ones. They can't get anything bigger than a grain of rice off of it, and I have been assured by the specialists that the material is 100% hypoallergenic and safe, even for a dog with GI problems like Jack.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna has one of the "wolf-sized" white ones ("durabone" I think it's called).  She's a VERY strong chewer for her size (she can demolish a regular nylabone in 10 minutes) and those white ones stand up to her rigorous chewing.

That being said, she really seems to prefer the taste of her Elk antler (from a Canadian company, no antler pantry for us) and chews it nightly.  She's had it for about 8 months and it still has plenty of use left in it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think that must be the "Durachew" Nylabone that Jack has. To hear him chew it, you would think he was pulverizing it, but nope.

[Niki & Jasper]

Which Canadian company do you use to get your antlers? I live in Canada and am having a hard time finding them. The only company I have seen is This & That Antlers.

[Kathy, Harley & Roxie]

J, are you saying antler pantry is not available to you?  Or is there a problem with antlerpantry that I'm not aware of.  thanks,

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

That is good to know. Maybe I'll give them another shot.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Yes nylabones are probably the least problematic for chipping off shards of plastic. They do get sharp and my sons dog always bleeds when he picks up our nylabones to chew. But my two don't have a problem. They do get some bad reviews about teeth chipping or breaks though. But that can happen with other things as well.
Antlers from antler pantry.com is great and the sizes are explained well. Good customer service and very quick delivery. The split anters didn't last long at all at my house, and the whole ones last months. Mine get bored with them at times and I just boil in chicken broth, or sometimes just soak overnight in it and voila....new chew sensation!

[Gail and Bailey]

Bailey loves her antlers and she has lots of them!  We have deer and elk. We only get the split ones because she loves to scrape the insides out and then chew on the rest of it.  The photos will show a new split antler and some of her old ones that all started out about the same size as the new one.  She still chews on all of them at one time or another. Yes...she is spoiled!  I shoved one of the old antlers into her black Kong and she likes to hold on to the Kong and chew the antler.  This is what my living room floor looks like most days.  Bailey is a mini and weighs 25 pounds but she is a very aggresive chewer.